Journey of Love
by Bad Luck Novelist
Summary: On a pokemon journey, Ash becomes ill, but who will be there to take care of him? And what chaos will insue from this sudden downtime?


Ages: 15-Ash, 14-May, 16-Misty, 17-Brock, 15-Gary  
  
"A-choo! A-choo! A-choo!" Every one looked at Ash.  
  
"Are you ok?" May asked, worry in her voice. Ash forced a smile.  
  
"Yeah...A-choo!...I'm fine...A-choo!...just my...A- choo!...my...allergies..." he said.  
  
"Are you sure? You look pale..." she said.  
  
"Yes! Yes! I-I-I-I-" Ash sneezed so hard that Pikachu tumbled off his head. He continued walking like before. They all followed after him.  
  
THREE DAYS LATER...  
  
"Bye Brock. Bye Misty," May said. Ash sneezed a couple of times.  
  
"I can stay with you for if you get worst, Ash" Misty said. He shook his head.  
  
"No, no...that's alright," he said. They said the rest of their good- byes and went in separate directions.  
  
With each passing day, Ash's health got worst. He got a horrible cough.  
  
On one cool night, Ash slept restlessly. He woke up around 1 A.M. Oddly, he was covered in sweat. "Ohhh," he moaned.  
  
He felt weak. Ash dragged himself over to May. "May.help!" he cried.  
  
"Mmm..." she groaned, "What is it, Ash?"  
  
"I don't feel so well..." Ash said. His voice was sloping into being so soft that May could hardly hear him talk.  
  
What's the ma- WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU?" she yelled. Ash was deathly pale, paler then before.  
  
"It's too hot out here," he whined. May frowned. She put the back of her hand against his forehead.  
  
"You're burning up!" she said. May took a thermometer out and stuck it in Ash's mouth. '105.2' it read.  
  
May got Ash back to bed. She wetted a washcloth, folded it, and put it on his forehead. He gave her a small smile. "You do know that if you hadn't lied and said it was just your 'allergies' that you wouldn't be in this condition because we could've gotten you to the doctor!" May said.  
  
Ash had a hurt look. "I didn't want you to.a-choo.make a big fuss over.(cough).over it." he said gently.  
  
"Ash, you can't do that and ignore it!" she scolded. Ash cringed.  
  
May lied back down in her sleeping bag. "I'm sorry, May," Ash said.  
  
She looked at him. "For what?" May asked.  
  
"For lying to you and rest," Ash said.  
  
"That's alright, Ash.just get some rest." she said. Ash sighed and went to sleep.  
  
Ash was still in bed after a few days. May went to go get some medicine at the closest town. His fever hadn't gone down, but up.  
  
May came back on Ponyta. "Ash, I got your medi-" she stopped dead. "Ash? Ash?! ASH?!"  
  
He was nowhere to be seen. She hopped off Ponyta and returned it. May put everything down.  
  
"Ash? Where are you?" she said. May walked through the woods until she found a spring and.  
  
"ASH!" she yelled. Ash had his head under the water. May yanked him out by his collar. "What did you think you were doing?!"  
  
"I dunno," he said. May pulled him all the way back to camp.  
  
"Ash Ketchum, you had me so worried!" she snapped.  
  
"I'm sorry." Ash looked at his feet, his hair sopping wet.  
  
"Just warn me next time," she said gently. Ash nodded. "Now go back to bed!"  
  
Ash, sulking, went back to bed. May hated yelling at him for little things like that and telling him to do things. At the moment, it was a must, not a want.  
  
May stayed up later then she usually did. She sat and watched the sick 15- year-old. After half an hour, she silently crawled over.  
  
She smiled. He was snoring just softly. May turned and looked around a little.  
  
Slowly, May kissed him on the forehead. He moved slightly in reaction. In fear, she went back a few inches.  
  
May stood up, muttered, "Please get better," and went off on a little walk.  
  
Ash squirmed slightly. "Ash? You awake?"  
  
His eyes were open, so he didn't have to say anything when he looked at Pikachu. "What was that about? Since when-"  
  
He stopped when Pikachu gave him a warning glance. Ash heard the snap of twigs and leaves. Quickly, he went back to sleep.  
  
Over the next few days, he had become VERY quiet, almost completely silent. Ash would talk and talk and talk and talk some more just to be doing something. May muttered that she was going to go get more medicine and got on Ponyta and out of there.  
  
Ash got a piece of paper out and scribbled a note on it. He stood up and went back to that spring. When he got there, he made sure no one was there before getting completely undressed and into the water. "Pikapi, pikachu!"  
  
"Hi Pikachu," Ash said. He coughed.  
  
"Pikachu?"  
  
"I'm just relaxing."  
  
"Pik." Pikachu curled up. It was right behind him on the ground. It's tail was right against his back.  
  
"Pikachu!" Ash snarled, "Move your tail!" It hurt.  
  
"'Chu Pikapi." It moved.  
  
"Ponyta! Return!" May returned the pokemon. She put the medicine down. She saw the note and picked it up. 'DON'T COME UNLESS IT IS URGENT!'  
  
"It is." she breathed. May put it down and took the trail straight to the spring, enjoying the little sounds of nature heard. She made it to the spring.  
  
May giggled. Ash had put his clothes in a heap. "No wonder he didn't want me here!" she thought.  
  
Ash had a VERY carefree personality. That was one of the reasons he never put anything in order. No one else May knew was that way.so why was he? It was one of those little questions that made her go 'Hmmm.'  
  
"It must be sheer bliss, in that freezing water," she said. Ash looked at her. The past week or two he had been slightly pink in the cheeks from his fever, but now he was bright red.  
  
"May, what are you doing here?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, we got a little problem," May said. She took a few steps toward him. Going even redder, Ash curled up in a ball.  
  
"MAY!" he howled, "DON'T DO THAT!!!!!"  
  
"Huh?" she said, "Oh!"  
  
May giggled. "Just go back to the camp. You can tell me AFTER I am dressed and stuff!" he said.  
  
"Your embarrassed!!" May said.  
  
"DUH!" Ash said. May giggled and walked out. Pikachu stirred awake and looked at him.  
  
Ash got out of the water and dressed after a few minutes. He strode through the trees and bushes (he took a LONG way (). When he did make it, he was exhausted.  
  
"What took you so long?" May asked, "Never mind that. It's Team Rocket."  
  
"First of all, I said I'd get here, not WHEN though. I'm cleverer then you think May!" Ash said, "And.Team Rocket, um, they should be easy to beat, no matter what."  
  
"Prepare for trouble!" someone sang. It was Jessie.  
  
"I won't do it!" James said. He walked over next to Ash, who looked at him in surprise. "Not now."  
  
"I won't either!" Meowth said. It went next to James.  
  
"Arg! Get back here!" Jessie yelled.  
  
"No!" they said. Ash looked at Jessie. It was easy to tell he was tired.  
  
"Humph! Fine! I'll do it my self!" she said. "GO! Arbok!"  
  
"Char bok!" it said.  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu thunder shocked Arbok. It was about to do the same to Jessie when she held up a hand.  
  
"Twerp, why is it that you need your girlfriend to take care of you? You can't be THAT bad!" Jessie asked.  
  
"May isn't my girlfriend," Ash said. Both him and May were blushing.  
  
"I like taking care of him," she said quietly. Jessie looked at her.  
  
"I see the twerpette likes the twerp himself," Jessie said. May was a bright scarlet color.  
  
"N-no I don't," she said.  
  
"You're blushing!" Jessie sneered.  
  
"Piikaachuu!" Pikachu thunder shocked Jessie, sending her to the moon.  
  
"I'm sorry about that," James said.  
  
"You look better Ash," May said quietly. She had just looked at him. He wasn't that pale pink color, but a normal color mostly.  
  
"Can we stay awhile?" Meowth asked. Ash nodded. "Tanks!"  
  
They stayed together in the woods for a couple of days before James started thinking. "Come on Meowth, we are going on a little walk." he said.  
  
Meowth followed him through the trees. "Ok, I've got a plan," James said.  
  
"What for?" Meowth asked. They heard a splash! near by. "The spring."  
  
They looked around the tree they were next to. Ash had pulled May into the water. She spit water out. "Why did you pull me in here?!"  
  
He gave her a playful shove. She grinned and tackled him in the chest.  
  
"Well, let me explain my plan," James said, with the sweatdrop on the side of his head. Meowth nodded.  
  
James cleared his throat. "Well, we have to get those two together! I know how, too!" he said. He explained his 'plan.'  
  
After a few minutes, James and Meowth went back to camp. It was a while later when Ash and May arrived.  
  
May pointed to a bucket of water she had, then pointed at Ash. She snuck up behind him and dumped it on his head. He spit some water out of his mouth.  
  
Ash took it off and threw it across the camp. "I just changed into some dry clothes, May!" he yelled.  
  
Amused, May let Ponyta out and climbed on it. "I'm gonna go!"  
  
Ponyta dashed off into the trees. James waited half an hour-not knowing when he would-for Ash to calm down before talking to him. "Um, Ash, I have an idea," he said.  
  
"Hm? Like what?"" Ash asked. James explained it all. "I guess. I'm never going to be able to say it."  
  
"Good luck!" Meowth said. Meowth and James left to let Ash write. They knew it would take some time to write it, and with only a few hours to do it.  
  
"How's this?" Ash asked, 2 hours later. James read it out loud:  
  
May, my love, As much as I'd love to tell you in person, I cannot because the words won't form in my mouth. The only way to tell you is to go through my thoughts: I wish to hold you for hours on end. I long to kiss you until you can't stand it anymore. I want you to be with me forever and ever. You are a goddess in my eyes; You are an angel in my mind. It's tearing me up inside, more then any illness could.  
  
I got a question, only one: What do you think of me?  
  
Meowth looked at Ash. "Good job," Meowth said.  
  
"I'm back!" May yelled. She jumped off Ponyta near the trees.  
  
"Hi May," Ash said. He didn't dare look at her.  
  
Ash looked into the fire a few nights later. His fever had went down and stayed down. He looked at his attempt at a poem.  
  
May had fallen asleep hours before. Ash walked over and slid the paper in her book bag.  
  
She sighed. May was up at 5:00 A.M. Her mind was empty.  
  
May had read and re-read that little paper ten times already. She couldn't think of who could've written it. The teen looked around her.  
  
She looked at Ash. He had a tranquil look on his face. May suddenly got an idea.  
  
May took the note from days ago from by a tree and looked at it. Her jaw dropped.  
  
"Oh.I never knew he could write something like this!" she said. Over the years, Ash had started writing in cursive, and has very loopy handwriting.  
  
"Pika?" Pikachu looked at the pieces of paper.  
  
"Oh, this is a poem!" May said.  
  
"Pi pik?"  
  
"Oh, Ash wrote it."  
  
"Pikapi?! Pikachu!"  
  
"It is not nonsense!"  
  
"pika pik!"  
  
"It isn't!"  
  
"I don't suggest you fight with Pikachu." Ash was on his stomach, his chin in his palm. Pikachu looked at him.  
  
May looked at him. She smiled sweetly at him. Pikachu jumped when May suddenly stood up and walked over.  
  
Ash yelped in surprise when May hugged him. He looked at her. Fear was the one thing he felt.  
  
"*What am I gonna do now?*" he thought. "I-I-I-I-"  
  
"Ashy Ketchum don't know what ta do now, does he?" May asked. He winced. No one ever called him that before.  
  
"I-I d-don't kn-know," he stammered.  
  
"Well, I shall show ya, if ya want," she said. Ash looked up at the sun.  
  
"Ok," he said, looking back at her. May, slowly, kissed him lightly on the lips.  
  
In shock, Ash pulled away from her. James and Meowth watched them from a few trees away. "Why did he do that?" James whispered.  
  
"Wouldn't ya?" Meowth said, "He's never gone through this before. It is natural to be shocked at first."  
  
"Ok," James said. They continued to watch the two teens.  
  
Ash's breathing had become shallow. He looked at her, shock and fear in his expression. "W-w-what was t-t-that for?" he asked.  
  
"You told me to show you, and I did!" she said awkwardly.  
  
"Come on Ash.don't fall to pieces now." James mumbled. Meowth worried about the fact it wasn't going as planned. James decided to break up the tension. He walked over and gave them a cheery smile.  
  
They looked at him. "Good morning!" James said.  
  
"Hi," they said.  
  
"You two like each other!" James said cheerfully.  
  
"Duh," they said.  
  
"Let me help you a bit." James, knowingly, pushed Ash forward. He, on accident, kissed May.  
  
Meowth looked at James in amazement. That was the first time James had done something like that, and had it do something good.  
  
Nether of the two teenagers pulled back in surprise, shock, fear, or confusion. They smiled at each other when they did pull away from each other.  
  
"Thanks James!" they said. James grinned. It was going to take A LOT to get those two apart. 


End file.
